Everyone has a family history, and the North Royalton Historical Society wants to help residents discover theirs.
The North Royalton Historical Society will be making family history forms available so residents can document their lineage and have a record of their past. The forms will be basic in nature, says Treasurer Georgia Viehbeck, and will serve as a starting point for residents to do their own family history research. Forms will list preliminary information including full names of spouses/birth parents, birth dates and places, marriage dates and locations, names of children/stepchildren, and occupations and addresses, with space for other information such as military service, family events, accomplishments, schools attended, hobbies and migration. Residents can either keep the forms for personal family record or return them filled out to the North Royalton Historical Society for official record in their museum library. Forms will be available electronically and at the museum once it reopens to the public due to Covid-19.
The family history program was introduced many years ago but has not been encouraged, Viehbeck said.
“This is actually a really good time to be doing this,” Viehbeck said in a telephone interview. “We’ve all been spending more time with our families this year and this is a good educational thing to do with your children. It’s nice for them and lets them think about who their parents are.”
Family history and lore, after all, is oftentimes passed down by stories and word of mouth, so these forms can serve as an official record for families to track and maintain. The family history project is two-fold: it helps residents better document their lineage and it helps the historical society expand upon its ever-growing library of local artifacts and history if residents choose to turn their forms into the historical society museum for documentation within its library. Viehbeck is looking to extend the history forms project to local businesses as well, as many North Royalton merchants have extensive histories in the city. Residents frequently reach out to the North Royalton Historical Society for information on landmarks, businesses and lineage.
The North Royalton Historical Society will be naming new officers and various positions in 2021 and is looking for someone to spearhead the family history forms project, Viehbeck said. Interested residents can email nrhsnow@gmail.com to inquire and learn more.
“There are many new programs on ancestry that are out there, and this family history form can help people get started on their research,” Viehbeck said. “We are getting more and more requests about lineage and I just think it’s important to have that family information documented and in one place. My goal is to get residents interested in their family histories.”
By SARA MACHO HILL
Contributing Writer